launch – i.w. harper – design + branding

Grab A Glass And Some Rocks. This One’s Going To Be Good.

Global premium spirits giant DIAGEO enlisted GERTRUDE, INC. and OZ MFG. COMPANY to lead strategy and creative for the renovation and re-launch of an internationally renowned, iconic bourbon brand making a landmark reunion with the U.S. market.

GERTRUDE & OZ initiated strategic and creative duties for the DIAGEO Innovation team with the redevelopment and re-launch of the legendary, 142-year-old I.W. HARPER bourbon brand, which returns to the U.S. for the first time in nearly 20 years with the release of two new, unique offerings: I.W. HARPER Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and a limited release of I.W. HARPER 15-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The storied brand is returning home after a long journey spanning 110 countries. Tasked with “modernizing a classic,” GERTRUDE & OZ applied the agency’s leading expertise in Brand Innovation and Brand Renovation to reposition, revitalize, and re-launch the I.W. HARPER brand in a memorable way befitting its remarkable history and premium positioning.

The new “Welcome Home Mr. Harper.” campaign launched in several key markets including Louisville, Chicago, and Portland, via Trade, Print, Digital, Brand Film, and Retail. The campaign also features a custom I.W. HARPER 1928 Ford Model A Huckster, designed and produced by OZ Manufacturing Company. The vehicle was featured at the I.W. HARPER Chicago PR launch event on March 26th and will live permanently in the I.W. HARPER room at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky.

The I.W. HARPER brand launch came at a perfect time for GERTRUDE, following the agency’s ten-year anniversary on February 1st, a milestone celebrating GERTRUDE’s longstanding foundation in innovation. The I.W. HARPER work debuted Spring 2015.